Scroll down to see and play Audio.
Good morning dear “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Today begins what many call “Holy Week”… the last few days leading to Easter weekend. Especially if you are practicing some type of ‘shelter in place’ or restriction to your home, may I urge you to take some extra time each day this week, to ponder & pray? It is no coincidence Easter 2020 is in the middle of this COVID-19 global crisis! So, what is God saying to you, me, and our world this Easter, as world leaders frantically scramble to respond to an ‘invisible enemy’ killing people everyday?
Psalm 119:34-37 gives us wisdom for times of great challenge like we face right now. It’s a prayer to God: “Give me understanding and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward Your statues and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your word.”
Do you see the urgent prayer request of a person who longs for God’s leading and direction in time of great trouble? Do you see the promised actions in response to God’s work in their life? Is this a reflection of your heart and mine today my friends? Are we longing for God to lead us and are we hungry for His Word to permeate our lives? These four verses lead us into Holy Week, and what was happening with Jesus and His disciples.
John 12:20 says “Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to Jerusalem to worship at the Passover Feast. They came to Philip…with a request. ‘Sir, we would like to see Jesus.’ Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.”
It is interesting John makes sure we understand these are Greeks, not Jews, who were asking to see Jesus. But they were Greek worshipers of Jehovah God. It was to people like these that the Apostle Paul went some years later, bringing the Gospel of the risen Jesus Christ. John doesn’t tell us what motivated them to request an audience with Jesus, but I have a question for all of us today… in our current world shake-up, how many people where you live are making this same statement: “We would like to see Jesus”?
I have found two things which have such powerful and fearful impact on people, that they will seek God even if they have never had much interest in God. First a deadly health epidemic which seems to have no cure and kills people rapidly. Ebola, Small Pox, Diptheria, Typhoid, and now COVID-19 are examples. The other is sudden financial crisis which threatens someone with bankruptcy or poverty. Both are happening in our day. . .look around, do you see people seeking God yet? If not, why not?
Please note Jesus’ response: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds…Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name!” (John 12:23-27)
Over these next few days Jesus will repeatedly speak of what will soon be happening to Him, as He gives His life as a ransom, for the payment of our sin debt. Here is one of those times, as He speaks of a kernel of wheat being buried and then sprouting new life that produces a harvest. Do you understand what He is saying my friends?
Jesus’ atonement death, burial and His victorious resurrection, has made it possible for Billions of people to be forgiven by God of their sin, and adopted into God’s family and for those who have died in generations past, they are all together with Jesus in heaven, right now. For the hundreds of millions of us, followers of Jesus, who are alive right now, all around the world, we have great privilege, and strategic purpose, of being Ambassadors of Jesus and the rescue He offers, in the face of this global pandemic, COVID-19! (2 Cor. 5:17-20)
Jesus was well aware of TIME.
You’ll recall when He was at the wedding feast, which ran out of wine, Jesus had told His mother “My time has not yet come” when she made Him aware of the wine shortage (John 2:4). But now with the Passover festival beginning and Jesus in Jerusalem having just experienced the Palm Sunday triumphal entry yesterday, now His time has come! Do you see why? Jesus knew it would be this Passover week which would be the perfect time for His Redemption mission to be accomplished, because Jews by the thousands were gathered to celebrate their uniqueness as a people of God and to cry out to God asking that He send His promised Messiah, soon!
Jesus is that long awaited Jewish Messiah, and this week Jerusalem was given multiple opportunities to recognize Him. Palm Sunday was one, here is another in this encounter with the Greek worshipers. Do you see Jesus making His purpose clear, and also His claim of a Father-Son relationship with God?
Now look at what happens next: “Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to Him. Jesus said ‘This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgement on this world, now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.’ The John adds his explanation with these words: “Jesus said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.” (John 12:28-33)
Oh my there is so much here! This is now the third time the voice of God audibly spoke over Jesus so people present could hear. It happened first at His baptism (Matt. 3:17), and then a second time at Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain (Matt. 17:5). Both times witnesses were present and clearly understood God was speaking and identifying Jesus as the Son of God.
This time Jesus Himself gives some explanation. Because Jesus had come as “Immanuel”, God with us, He had spoken God’s truth clearly. He had also proven His deity by His miracles, and would suffer and die at the hands of humanity rejecting God. Therefore, God’s judgment upon rebellious, wicked, Jesus rejecting humanity is God’s justice! Now consider this carefully my friends as you watch the global response to COVID-19 during Holy Week and Easter weekend!
Jesus’ statement that ‘the prince of this world will be driven out’ does not mean Satan fled this world during that Passover, but rather that Jesus won the victory over sin, Satan and death, through His own atonement death and especially His resurrection and later ascension back to heaven where He reigns in sovereign authority over all. And one day Jesus execute righteous judgment on Satan and all His demons by casting them into the lake of fire for all eternity. (Revelation 20:10)
For now Satan is a defeated enemy who is given permission, by His conqueror Jesus, to continue tempting humanity with his evil. This provides humanity the wonderful opportunity to reject Satan and turn to Jesus for Salvation, and live God honoring, Holy Spirit filled lives everyday, for God’s glory and Satan’s humiliation. Is that what you and I are doing this week leading to Easter my friends?
And do you see the power of Jesus’ statement: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Myself.” As Jesus was nailed to that cross and raised up for all to see, mankind’s purpose was His humiliation and execution. But God’s purpose was His glorification and atonement sacrifice. From that moment to this, the cross invites EVERY living human being to consider Jesus as their Savior!
The only person exempt from being saved by Jesus, is the person who does not place their trust in Jesus for their salvation! The cross of Jesus is God’s invitation to the entire world, every person, every generation, and even this moment God is ready to apply Jesus’ full sin payment to the sin of any and every person who repents and trusts in Jesus fully and alone for their salvation!
Please notice the rest of the conversation that day as John provides it: “The crowd spoke up, ‘We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this ‘Son of Man’?
Then Jesus told them, ‘You are going to have the light just a little longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.’ When He finished speaking, Jesus left and hid Himself from them.” (John 12:34-36)
Do you remember Jesus had called Himself the Light of the world? John 8:12 says “Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world, whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” And here again He refers to Himself as the light which dispels darkness. Look ahead in our chapter today to vs. 46 where Jesus said “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.”
Light most often in the Bible refers to God’s truth, and darkness to the deceitfulness of the dark kingdom. One of Jesus’ purposes in coming to earth was to proclaim God’s truth, over and over, and to LIVE God’s truth for all to see, in contrast with the evil and wicked darkness everywhere. Here do you see Jesus again predicting that He would only be present for a short while. Soon He would be returning to heaven. Do you see Jesus’ clear invitation to trust in Him as the means of escaping the darkness?
If you have time today my friends, I urge you to finish reading the remainder of chapter 12 of John, and ponder deeply what you see. May I give you some questions to help you:
Why were the people so reluctant to believe Jesus was who He claimed to be, the Son of God, even after all His miracles and teachings? (vs. 37-41)
Why are some people so fearful of the opinions of others that they will not publicly acknowledge that they have trusted Jesus and are following Him? (vs. 42,43)
What do you understand Jesus is explaining regarding His relationship with and obedience to God the Father, as He came here to earth? (vs. 44-50)?
Who is the ultimate judge? (vs. 47-50)
Oh Lord Jesus, we thank you for all that this week meant in that first Easter, but we especially thank you for walking this Easter week with us. We long to experience all You have for us this week, and we pray for a global spiritual revival in the face of COVID-19 this Easter.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.